audio | @sdkbmri92kgb

[darkeyed]

_{[It's rare to see the owner of this un opt for the network over saying whatever he needs to say in person, but in this particular case, he can't go around asking everyone...]}

Has anyone seen Riku? Guy with silver hair. You can't miss him.

Let me know, thanks.

_{[Quick and to the point. But then in a perfect world this would be a quick and to the point mystery solved.]}


EDIT:


_{(OOC: After this thread, M.K. has taken pictures of Bruce's texts and posted them below his original message. Oho, you thought he hadn't learned his lesson about making copies of important documents, but he did.)}

Someone here has an idea of where he is and is hellbent on hiding it from the rest of us. If you have a way to track someone down, use it.

Comments

@rlutece

[originallutece]

[Does she swear while she listens to this? Assuredly.]

No. He isn't answering his device, either, and he hasn't attended our usual lessons.

[Bullying sessions. Exploited labor. Whatever.]

When was the last time you saw him?

@missprincessmary; voice

[withsadness]

He can't be gone! We have to find him right now! Right now!

[She's like, immediately panicking! Excellent!]

I'm going to tell the forest to bring him back!

private|

[pearlstrings]

[Remember that perfect world you were talking about]


Yes. But I believe his tablet is missing.

@daylit; voice.

[sunborne]

-No.

I thought- [ the litany of excuses refuse to come out of daylight's mouth, stubborn and ashamed for not checking on riku - on his friend - sooner.

so, instead, he goes with something else: ] Where have you looked so far?

[primordialerebus]

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck do you think he's okay maybe he just got like lost fuck

@darkness

[evulsed]

Oh dear. Are you missing your little friend?

@stone, audio

[scarsolderthanyou]

Oh, are we asking about people who are missing on here? Because there's a lovely young lady with tusks and magic who I can't seem to find, either.

But if you have something that belongs to this Riku kid, I might be able to sniff him out. I have a very good sense of smell, I just don't have a scent right now to work off of.

Private, audio @ SuprNerd

[moderatelymaladjusted]

I haven't seen him since, uh, since back when things were still pretty weird. It's been more than a week. When did you last see him? Where have you already looked?

@regina; private, voice

[itselbitch]

Ssso I haven't seen him, but I did find his tablet. I tried locating him, but it doesn't seem like it's something he's very attached to. Not really sure where he could be, but he's probably not dead, at least. Whatever reassurance that brings.

What the hell is up with your username?

[darkeyed]

Since when are you two doing lessons?

_{[No, back on track.]}

When the hallucinations were bad. But I-- _[...] I wasn't really paying attention after that. I don't know how long he's been missing messages. I figured he was just doing the same as me and keeping to himself.

_{[But this is getting to be too long for licking wounds.]}

[originallutece]

[Her eyebrows raise, but mercifully, she lets that comment go. Instead: her face grows still, and she keeps her voice even and unemotional as she replies:]

He may not be in a position to reply.

People do die here. It's been a fair few weeks, but it's not become impossible.

[darkeyed]

<sub>[Oh... it's the kid who likes to color. His knowledge of their resident youngster starts and ends with that sentence.

His options seem to be as follows:

A. Say something a kid would find reassuring.
B. Say something a kid would find calming.
C. Say something to stop a kid from doing something reckless.
D. Having no experience dealing with kids younger than himself aside from Eleven, say what he's normally say but... slower, in the hopes the words sink and coax her out of that shrill vocal range unique to upset children.]</sub>

No one said he was gone, I just asked if anyone had seen him.

[darkeyed]

We're already dead. I don't need to be reminded people die.

_{[In contrast, impatience sneaks into his tone. Patience has never been his strong suit, but less so now.]}

[originallutece]

Then you're working off the assumption it's a likely theory? Most people tend to cling to defensive delusion.

[darkeyed]

_{[--yes? He scarcely has the attention for privacy settings with the dozen more questions that brings to the forefront.]}

Where? _{[Not in the usual places that M.K.'s seen. And he would know--he's been looking.]} Why isn't he here to say that himself?

[pearlstrings]

As I said, he and his tablet have been separated.

[darkeyed]

That's not what I asked. You said yes.

_{[Wrote, technically, but whatever.]}

Does that mean you've seen him or not? Where is he?

[pearlstrings]

Yes I've seen him.

His missing tablet is the reason you haven't heard from him.

[darkeyed]

_{[Which part is the delusion? Not believing he's dead on a more permanent basis like Winters? Hoping he's alive? Not wanting him to be dead?]}

I know.

_{[Two words that betray the conflict between realistic expectations and that hope. He could very well be dead, or just plain gone, like so many already. But this one... This one M.K. is more reluctant to add to that list.]}

Either way, I want to be sure. If that were the case, wouldn't that girl have mentioned it in one of her bulletins by now?

[darkeyed]

I don't care about the tablet. _{[With no attempt to soften the snap of his immediate reply.]} I care why you're dodging the question and why you won't let me hear your voice.

_{[What could have been a case of thickheadedness is graduating to blatant obliqueness, and that raises all sorts of red flags and hackles.]}

Where. Is. He?

[pearlstrings]

I decline to answer.

He is alive and he is safe. I suspect he'll tell you the rest in his own time.

[withsadness]

I haven't seen him in forever! Forever!

[Sorry, M.K. her voice is getting shrill as hell. It's like, a borderline scream. Things had been so wild, she honestly hadn't realized how long it had been since she'd seen Riku. Now that it's been brought to her attention? Mary is absolutely not letting this go.]

That means he's gone and I need him back right now!

[darkeyed]

Sorry, did you think you have a choice? I'm not giving you one. I'll believe that when I hear it from him. I don't know who you are, and I'm sure as hell not about to trust some message on a screen.

<sub>[They're already full up on people who think they can hide behind texts and speak for other people and her name is Robin. To Bruce's slim credit, his diction in his stonewalling is easier to follow than hers, so there's that.

The irony is, he hadn't been worried Riku was unsafe as much as he is now.]</sub>

If he's fine, you should have no problems proving it. Unless you have something to hide.

[pearlstrings]

If I'd done something nefarious, contacting you directly to tell you that I'm involved seems like an odd decision.

I can appreciate your concern, but the answer is still no.

[darkeyed]

So does saying you know where he is but refusing to say where, or what's happened, or proving if he's even alive.

_{[Or anything else of value, really. He'll take "oh, hell no" for 500, Alex.]}

Let's get something straight: I don't care who you are, or what kind of game you're playing jerking me around. I'm willing to bet you're not the Lighthouse Keeper. And I doubt you're Will, he doesn't strike me as the type to bother with something like this. That makes me think chances are you're probably someone with a tablet and a connection to the network like the rest of us.

_{[What matters is this--]}

I want to know where he is.

_{[And as he demands it, he decides it at the same time. The more wrong this feels, the more determined that decision becomes.]}

You can either show me you're telling the truth now, or I'll tell everyone else one of us knows and isn't saying. That guy's made friends. What do you think's going to happen if they think he could be in trouble? They'll find him. And if he's not all right and they think you had something to do with it, they'll find you, too.

I hear the Lighthouse Keeper's not a fan of us turning on each other.